ibishotels : reinventing the guest experience

i b i s H o t e l s : R e i n v e n t i n g t h eG u e s t E x p e r i e n c e

E n t r y : B e s t I n n o v a t i o n i n h o t e l c o n c e p t

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T h e C o n c e p t

In 2017, Ibis Hotels introduced a new concept, transforming the way

guests are welcomed into a hotel. Supported by innovative mobile

technology, the concept simultaneously improves customer service,

operational efficiency and employee satisfaction, while creating space

that can transform traditional reception areas into vibrant revenue-

generating spaces.

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T h e M a r k e t C o n t e x t

C u s t o m e r s f e e l i n g i n c r e a s i n g l y u n c a r e d

f o r , i n t u r n r e s u l t i n g i n a w o r s e

e x p e r i e n c e f o r t h e r e d u c e d n u m b e r o f

c u s t o m e r - f a c i n g p e r s o n n e l

Perceived decline in customer

service levels throughout the

industry

Introduction of new

digital technology to

reduce staffing costs

Broad ntroduction

of new digital

technology to

reduce staffing

costs

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T h e A i m

To transform the experience of its guests and

employees and become the benchmark for

customer service in the economy segment and

beyond – and in doing so, improve guest

satisfaction and loyalty

* M A K I N G G U E S T S

F E E L W E L C O M E *

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A 3 6 0 A p p r o a c hT h e S o l u t i o n

R e i n v e n t t h e g u e s t a n d e m p l o y e e j o u r n e y

w i t h t h e h e l p o f m o b i l e t e c h n o l o g y .

Employees using mobile devices to access the information they need for

everything from check-in to housekeeping within one app. By using the

company’s new FOLS mobile software, employees can manage their

schedules and access information while being freed up to interact with

guests, approaching to help them rather than waiting to be approached.

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T h e r e m o v a l o f t h e c h e c k -

i n d e s k

This mobility allowed ibis to take the unique step of

completely removing the traditional check-in desk, with

employees now trained to greet guests on arrival with

room keys in hand.

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N e w G u e s t J o u r n e y i n

a c t i o n !

For guests that want to engage and sit with the team

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N e w G u e s t J o u r n e y i n

a c t i o n !

And for guests to want to check in quickly!

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T h e b e n e f i t s

1Improved customer service: the system

makes check-in and check-out a faster,

easier and more personal experience for

guests. Employees are encouraged and

empowered to offer great customer

service.

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T h e b e n e f i t s

2Improved employee engagement and satisfaction:

three-quarters of ibis employees are millennials

who predominantly use their mobile devices for the

vast majority of tasks in their lives outside work.

Enabling them to carry out their duties by using a

smartphone or a tablet and an app to gather and

process information instead of limiting them to a

static point with a desktop PC, makes work a more

natural extension of their normal lives and

increases the feeling of working in a forward-

thinking organisation.

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T h e b e n e f i t s

3Improved operational efficiency: employees can

now access any information they need away

from the confines of a desk or a computer. The

software allows them to manage their

schedules within one app, making day-to-day

management of the hotel more efficient.

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T h e b e n e f i t s

4Revenue-creation opportunities: the removal of the traditional reception desk

allows for the creation of more social spaces around hotels, which are more

appealing for guests and passers-by while offering revenue-generating

opportunities for hotels by incorporating retail services in the space where

traditional reception areas would otherwise have been. This approach was

trialled in ibis Cambridge Central Station, with the hotel’s Chill #2 coffee shop

acting as the main check-in area of the hotel. Chill #2 is an appealing

proposition to retail customers going to and from the train station next door as

well as hotel guests.

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AccorHotels MicrosoftFOLS mobile

T h e P a r t n e r s

C U LT U R A L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

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T h e R o l l O u t

The concept was rolled out across the entire UK ibis

network of 71 hotels between January and May 2017

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T h e T r a i n i n g

The roll-out was accompanied by a

cultural transformation on how to use

the software and how to welcome

guests in a new more personalised

way, providing great customer service.

It was carried out face-to-face, peer-to-

peer at ibis Cambridge, but also with

the use of online training videos, a

favoured medium of most employees

targeted, and peer-to-peer training tips.

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T h e E v a l u a t i o n

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T h e E v a l u a t i o n

The project cost an average £5,000 per site including

the full mobility concept. ibis’ main methods of

evaluating the success of this initiative are:

The percentage

of check-ins

completed with

the mobile

concept:

to measure the

rate of adoption of

the welcome

Guest satisfaction

scores:

to measure its

impact on customer

service levels

Employee

engagement and

retention:

to measure its

impact on

employees

Initial results indicate that

the programme is proving a

real success:

- 90% per cent of guest

check-ins are now

conducted via mobile

devices with the new

approach

- 53% of the hotels

significantly increased

their guest satisfaction

scores

- Employee engagement

and retention figures [as

above]

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I n s u m m a r y

I b i s u s e d i n n o v a t i o n , e n a b l e d

b y m o b i l e t e c h n o l o g y t o

s i m u l t a n e o u s l y :

- E m p o w e r e m p l o y e e s t o p r o v i d e

g r e a t c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e

- M a k e o p e r a t i o n s m o r e e f f i c i e n t

- I m p r o v e e m p l o y e e e n g a g e m e n t a n d

r e t e n t i o n

- C r e a t e t h e p o t e n t i a l f o r r e v e n u e

c r e a t i o n t h r o u g h r e t a i l s e r v i c e s

- P l a c e h o s p i t a l i t y b a c k a t t h e h e a r t

o f t h e h o t e l f o r a p e r s o n a l i s e d

e x p e r i e n c e